Operating a small business can be time consuming and hard work–that’s why it’s important to know what to invest your (limited) time into when it comes to marketing. One of the questions we hear a lot from small business owners is, “Should I have a Facebook/Instagram page?” and “Will I see my ROI by spending so much time on posts each month?” Our answers are always, “Yes.” and “Yes.”
We get it! It’s not easy for small businesses to do social media well. Sure, you can set up an account and post a few times each week, but that is not enough.
- Do your graphics make you stand out?
- Is your copy clean?
- Which platforms are you focusing on and why?
- Are you interacting with your audience?
Here are a few simple strategies to help you leverage social media without burning you out.
Top Ways to Increase Your Social Media Presence for Small Businesses
If you’re a small business owner (if you’re an aesthetic provider, check out these tips) looking to optimize your social media time, here’s what you need to know.
1. Pick a Platform and Master It
First and foremost, it’s overwhelming to choose the right platform for your small business. Do you opt for the established Facebook? Or go for something more youthful like Instagram? Or extremely youthful (we’re talking Gen Z) like TikTok?
And, what about X (Twitter), Pinterest, and YouTube? Of course, we can’t forget about Snapchat and we might as well mention Quora while we’re at it.
As you’re already aware, there are lots of social media platforms to choose from. Don’t overwhelm yourself. Stick to one until you master the ropes–not as a user of the platform (that’s easy!) but as a creator.
Learn everything about the platform. See what competitors are doing. Stay up-to-date with trends. Do you know when the optimal times are to post? Do you know how to find keywords and take advantage of hashtags? These are the things you need to sort out before spreading yourself thin across multiple platforms.
2. Repurpose Content
There are two easy ways to repurpose content. The first is reposting old content. The second is reusing posts across platforms. When reposting old content, you’ll want to repurpose content after you build an audience.
When reusing content across platforms you want to optimize your posts. Let’s say you want to convert a Facebook post to an Instagram post. All you need to do is schedule it to Instagram and you’re good to go? Not quite. Are the image dimensions optimized for Instagram (which is a 1:1 ratio)? What about your link in bio? That’s an Instagram thing, not a Facebook thing.
So, while you can take the bones of the content, you’ve still got to add those finishing touches to ensure the content you’re repurposing on other platforms is optimized.
3. Curate from Other Creators.
The purpose of social media is to be social. So…be social! By sharing content from other businesses and individuals, you’re spreading the love. That means you’re bound to get some love back!
Therefore, one of the best ways to expand your social media presence is to borrow from other creators. This increases your chances of being shared by other creators and businesses, too. But which businesses do you source content from? You don’t want to go for direct competitors, and you probably don’t want to go with businesses that operate outside of your niche. Be sure you’re sharing the love, tagging, and giving credit to the creators who inspire you!
Another thing you want to take into account is QUALITY. If you’re on Pinterest and have perfected the designs of all your pins to the T, you don’t want to ruin your boards by pinning a graphic that looks like it was made with PowerPoint in the 1990’s!
There are fine lines you’ve got to walk to make sure you’re using your time wisely.
4. Stay Up to Date with Trends and New Rules
Now that you’ve mastered a platform (and have perhaps expanded to a couple more), you’ve learned to recycle content (both on one platform and across platforms), and you’ve curated quality content. Now what?
Curveballs, of course.
Just when you think you’ve got the perfect strategy on Pinterest you hit a little speed bump. Instagram now favors videos and is transitioning away from pictures. Uh-oh. Now what? You’ve got to adapt.
You need to stay up to date with the latest trends and announcements from each platform. What were once Story Pins are now Idea Pins on Pinterest. Be prepared for little changes like this. Furthermore, these changes don’t just change in name; they change in function, too. To be successful you have to participate in ongoing education.
The Value of Organic Social Media
Having an organic social media presence is vital. Organic social media increases your brand’s awareness, gives you an opportunity to build an online community, establish trust and authority which can generate calls and website traffic, and lead to sales.
While you may be able to manage one or two platforms on your own, it can easily become overwhelming. It may be counterintuitive, but your best bet may be to outsource some (or all) of your social media efforts. That way you can focus on what you’re best at— your business!
If you want to swell up your social media presence with a boutique agency that’s mastered multiple platforms, you know who to contact (ahem, us!).
